Balsa Wood

Balsa lumber is very soft and light, with a coarse, open grain. The wood is kiln-dried for about two weeks, leaving the cells hollow and empty. The large volume-to-surface ratio of the resulting thin-walled empty cells gives the dried wood a large strength-to-weight ratio because the cells are mostly air. Balsa stains and finishes well, though it has a tendency to soak up large quantities of material on the initial coats.